Assessment Findings and Suggestions Report · The marketing assessment determined how effective the marketing was in convincing a potential visitor that the area would be worth a

Assessment Findings and Suggestions ReportSan Juan County, Utah

June, 2017

Opportunity Assessment

INTRODUCTION

In May of 2017, an Opportunity Assessment of San Juan County, Utah, was conducted, and the findings were presented in a two-and-a-half hour workshop. The assessment provides an unbiased overview of San Juan County—how it is seen by a visitor. It includes a review of local marketing efforts, signage, attractions, critical mass, retail mix, ease of getting around, customer service, visitor amenities such as parking and public restrooms, overall appeal, and the community’s ability to attract overnight visitors.

In performing the Opportunity Assessment, we looked at the area through the eyes of a first-time visitor. No prior research was facilitated, and no community representatives were contacted except to set up the project. The county was “secretly shopped.” Any person looking to relocate their business, industry, or residence will come to your community as a visitor first. Tourism is the front door to all your economic development efforts.

Once potential visitors find information about your area, are the marketing materials good enough to close the sale? In the Marketing Assessment, we reviewed your visitor website and print marketing materials.

A typical community has five opportunities to close the sale:

1) Personal contact (visitor information centers, trade shows, etc.)

2) Websites

3) Brochures and printed materials

4) Publicity (articles)

5) Word of mouth - the most effective means

We searched the internet for activities, requested and reviewed printed materials, and looked for articles and third-party information. As we prepared for travel to your communities, we searched both commercial and organizational websites promoting the area, tourism websites, and read travel articles and guidebooks.

The marketing assessment determined how effective the marketing was in convincing a potential visitor that the area would be worth a special trip, a stop, or an overnight stay. The key to the marketing assessment is to see if you have a primary lure that makes you worth a special trip of a one-hour drive—or from further away. The question on most visitors’ minds is: What do you have that I can’t get closer to home? What makes you worth a special trip?

Where most communities falter is when they merely provide “lists” of what the community has, whether it’s truly “unique” or not. Nearly every community in North America promotes the usual list of diversions: local museums, shops and restaurants, plenty of lodging, golf, outdoor recreation, historic downtowns, scenic vistas, etc. Of course, nearly every visitor can do these things closer to home. So, what makes San Juan County worth the trip?

Always promote your primary lure first—what makes you worth that special trip. THEN, promote your diversionary, or “complementary” activities. Would you go to Anaheim, California, if Disneyland

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INTRODUCTION

wasn’t there? Do you think that Universal Studios and Knotts Berry Farm mind that Disneyland gets all the glory? Of course not. Eighty percent of all tourism spending is with those secondary activities. Disney does the heavy lifting in terms of advertising and promotion, and the diversionary activities benefit.

In a nutshell, the Marketing Effectiveness Assessment looks for what makes your communities worth a special trip, or a great place to live, or to do business. We look for details, details, details. Do you give a reason for visiting, and do you provide enough information to make it easy to plan a trip? Are the marketing materials good enough to close the sale?

The second part of the assessment process is the On-site Assessment. During this part of the assessment, we spent several days in the county, looking at enticements from the highways (signs, billboards, something that would get a visitor to stop), beautification and overall curb appeal, wayfinding (ease of getting around), visitor amenities (public restrooms, visitor information, parking), activities, overall appeal, retail mix (lodging, dining, shopping), critical mass, customer service, area attractions, pedestrian friendliness, gathering spaces, evening activities, and the availability of marketing materials and their effectiveness.

The area benefits from tourism when visitors spend money, and they do that in the local gift shops, restaurants, hotels, etc. Therefore, the On-site Assessment includes a candid look at private businesses as much as public spaces and amenities.

For every shortcoming or challenge we note during the assessment process, we provide a low-cost “suggestion,” where possible, on how the challenge can be corrected or overcome. The suggestions are not termed “recommendations,” as they were developed without consulting the communities first about possible restraints, future plans, or reasons why the suggestions may not be appropriate. Hopefully this assessment process will open dialogue within the communities, leading people to adopt some or all of the suggestions, taking them from suggestions to recommendations.

It’s important to note that to increase the county’s tourism industry, fulfilling one or two of the suggestions may have little impact, but implementing a number of them, if not all, can have a profoundly successful impact on the county’s ability to tap into the tourism industry.

Implementation of these suggestions must be a region-wide effort, involving both privately owned businesses as well as local, county, and state agencies, where appropriate. Every local organization plays a role in tourism, downtown revitalization, or economic development efforts. A Destination Marketing Organization (DMO, CVB, Chamber, TPA, etc.) will not be successful if the tourism effort is not region-wide.

In many cases, issues may come up that you are already aware of and are already working on. In that case, the assessment validates those efforts. But more often than not, the assessment will point out things that you are aware of but can’t mention or bring up without paying a political price. Local politics can be a killer of the tourism industry.

San Juan County, Utah - Assessment Report 3

INTRODUCTION

programs easily see that the industry subsidizes the community, whereas other communities find that they subsidize visitors—providing services visitors use without them leaving enough money behind to cover the cost of those services.

The primary goal of the tourism industry is to bring more cash into the local economy. This doesn’t happen when visitors come into the community, get out of their cars, and take photographs. And it doesn’t happen when visitors go swimming in the lake at your park all day, sunning, and eating the lunch they brought from home. And it doesn’t happen when visitors hike down your trails, enjoy your interpretive centers, or stroll through your lovely arboretums. These are all great things to do, and, of course, you do want your visitors to do these, but you also want to entice them into your shops, your cafes, espresso stands, restaurants, galleries, B&Bs, and hotels, ultimately opening their wallets to make purchases. That is what helps your local economy, your small merchants, your hoteliers, and your tax coffers.

To entice visitors to spend money in your community, you need to have places for them to spend it. You need to have the right mix of shops, restaurants, entertainment, and lodging facilities, all in an attractive setting, as well as attractions that make them want to visit you in the first place.

While marketing efforts are important, product development is the most important factor of a successful tourism industry. Visitors want activities, not just things to look at. How much time can a visitor spend enjoying activities—that cater to their interests—in your area? Does your community have truly unique attractions the visitor can’t get closer to home? You must be able to deliver on your marketing promises—otherwise visitors might come once, but they won’t come back. It’s much more cost effective to bring people back, than to always go out and entice new visitors into town. “Been there, done that” communities eventually run out of visitors and find they don’t have a sustainable tourism industry, or they simply become pit stops or gateways on the way to somewhere else.

After spending several days reviewing marketing materials and assessing the county, we have looked at all of these issues, and have developed some suggestions and ideas the communities can discuss and possibly implement to help increase tourism spending locally.

SUCCESSFUL TOURISM TRANSLATES TO CASH

Tourism is successful when a community imports more cash than it exports. When residents spend their hard-earned money outside the community, the community is exporting cash—often referred to as “leakage.” Tourism helps fill that gap, importing cash into the local economy without the necessity of having to provide extended social and other services. Visitors come, spend money, then go home. When you import more cash than you export, you have a positive “balance of trade.” Communities with successful tourism


INTRODUCTION

THE THREE TYPES OF TOURISM

1. Visiting friends and familyThe number one reason people travel is to visit friends and/or family. If you did nothing to promote tourism, you would still have tourism in your community. However, when friends and family come to visit, do your residents take them out to eat, shop, dine locally? Or do they head to a neighboring community? Do your locals even know what you have to offer? An effective tourism marketing effort also includes educating locals as to what you have and how to find it through effective wayfinding signage, gateways and advertising.

2. Business travelThe second most popular reason for travel is business. Included in this category is educational travel: colleges and universities, as well as conventions and meetings, corporate travel, vendor travel, etc. Like leisure travelers, this group is looking for things to do “after hours” while in the area. The most successful convention and trade show towns are the result of their secondary activities or “diversions,” not simply because of their convention and exhibition facilities. Think Disneyworld, Disneyland, San Antonio’s River Walk, Banff, to name a few.

3. Leisure travelThe third, and most lucrative of all types of visitors, is the leisure traveler. They have no personal connections to the community, but are coming purely to enjoy themselves. They stay in commercial lodging establishments, eat virtually all their meals in local restaurants, and their top diversionary

activity is shopping and dining in a pedestrian-friendly setting.

The average leisure visitor is active 14 hours a day, yet typically only spends four to six hours with the primary lure. They then spend eight to ten hours with diversionary activities—things they could do closer to home, but will do while in the area. A good example of this is Branson, Missouri, the “live music-theater capital of the world.” This town of 6,500 residents hosts 7.5 million visitors a year. The primary “lure” is the 49 music theaters. The average visitor attends two shows a day over about


INTRODUCTION

four hours. During the other hours of the day, the visitor will shop in local outlet malls, head to the water parks, theme parks, and other attractions, play a round of golf, hike, bike, fish, do some bird watching, and participate in any number of other activities they could do closer to home, but will do while visiting Branson.

THE THREE STAGES OF TOURISM

1. Status quoIf you take no action to develop the tourism industry, you will still have an element of tourism, simply because some travelers will pull off local highways or freeways for gas, food, or lodging, as well as the fact that the number one reason for travel is to visit friends or family. If you have residents, you will have some tourism.

2. Getting people to stopThe first priority of developing a successful tourism industry is getting people to stop. Imagine how successful businesses in the community would be if just 50% of the vehicles traveling through pulled off the highway and spent just 30 minutes in your community—buying gas, an ice cream cone, a sandwich, a gift or souvenir?

If there’s a strong pull, imagine the money spent if visitors stayed two hours in the community, which nearly always translates to additional spending.

The first goal is to get those travelers to stop.

3. Becoming the destinationTo become a destination community you must have attractions and supporting amenities that convince visitors to spend the night. And those attractions

must be different from what the visitor can get closer to home.

Overnight visitors spend three times that of day visitors, and nearly ten times that of visitors using your community as a pit stop on the way to somewhere else.

THE FOUR-TIMES RULE

Visitors will make a point of stopping or staying in a community if it has enough activities that appeal specifically to them and will keep them busy four times longer than it took them to get there.

In other words, if a person has to drive 15 minutes to visit you, do you have enough for them to do to keep them busy for an hour? (4 times 15 minutes) If a visitor has to drive an hour, do you have the activities and amenities to keep them busy for four hours?

The more you have to offer, collectively, the further visitors will come, and the longer they will stay, and of course, the more they will spend. This is why it is so important for communities to market more than just their immediate geographic areas. By marketing neighboring activities and attractions, you present much more for a visitor to do, and you make the visit worth the trip.

Visitors don’t care about city limits or county lines—so market the broader package and you’ll be able to keep people in the area long enough to translate to another meal, some more shopping, and hopefully, an overnight stay. Just make sure you market activities that are only 45 minutes to one hour away—otherwise, why wouldn’t visitors just stay overnight there?


INTRODUCTION

SELL THE EXPERIENCE, NOT GEOGRAPHY

Nearly every destination marketing organization is charged with promoting a geographic area, yet visitors couldn’t care less about those boundaries. They are looking for activities that cater to their interests, and location is second to the experience. ALWAYS promote the primary lure first, then the location. People by the millions head to Disneyland, Disneyworld, Dollywood and other attractions. They are not going to Anaheim, Orlando or Pigeon Forge.

Always sell the activity—the experience—THEN the location.

LURES, DIVERSIONS AND AMBIANCE

Too often communities promote the list of diversions that nearly every community has. The primary lure is the activity that a visitor can’t find closer to home.

Always promote your primary lure, then the diversions. Do not try to be all things to all people. Have you ever gone anywhere because they had “something for everyone?” Of course not—you go there because they have something specific for you. Find your niche and promote it like crazy.

Historic downtowns provide ambiance—they are not attractions, diversions, nor are they a primary lure. It’s what’s in the buildings that makes a downtown a destination.

The same can be said for scenery. Unless your vista is a world-class scene, such as Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon, scenic vistas create wonderful ambiance, but don’t translate to spending, and they only last a few minutes. Then what?

All too often communities promote their heritage as a primary draw. How far would you travel to visit a mining museum? A timber museum? An agricultural center? A county historical museum? Heritage must be outstanding and pervasive throughout the community to be a primary lure, such as Plimoth Plantation or Salem, Massachusetts.

Thousands of communities are the “capital” of something. For instance, in California, Borrego Springs is the grapefruit capital of the world. Gilroy is the garlic capital. Modesto is the tomato capital. Gridley is the kiwi capital. Oxnard is the strawberry capital. Fallbrook is the avocado capital. But here’s the question: Have you ever gone anywhere because it was the capital of a fruit or vegetable?

Your local heritage is important to the community and can set the ambiance, even becoming a diversionary activity. For local heritage to be a major attraction, it needs to combine activities with ambiance, and it needs to be pervasive throughout the area.

BE DIFFERENT OR THE BEST

Why should a visitor come to your community if they can enjoy the same activities closer to home? Too many communities promote “outdoor recreation” as their primary draw. Unfortunately, that is the same attraction promoted by nearly every community in North America.

If you are different, then you have a reason for travelers to choose to visit you. If you are the best, then visitors will generally flock to your doors.

If you have great hiking trails, then market their unique qualities. Be specific and paint the image


INTRODUCTION

of how wonderful they are in the minds of your potential visitors. If you have one fantastic restaurant in town, let people know about it—a unique dining experience is something many people will travel far to enjoy.

Ashland, Oregon, previously a depressed timber town, began its Shakespeare Festival, which now runs nine months of the year and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors who spend an average of six nights in the community. The Shakespeare Festival made Ashland different from any other community.

Leavenworth, Washington, another dying timber town, adopted a Bavarian architectural theme and produces dozens of Bavarian events every year. Some now say the town looks more genuinely Bavarian than towns in Bavaria. It is one of the primary tourist destinations in Washington state, hosting more than 2.5 million visitors annually. They offer a different experience, an experience that is pervasive throughout town.

Okanogan County, Washington is an outdoor recreational paradise—just like 37 of the 38 other counties in Washington. So why go to the Okanogan? Because they are the best. They researched guidebooks, newspaper and magazine articles, and pulled quotes they could use in their advertising efforts. Like, “Pinch yourself, you’re in Okanogan Country with perhaps the best cross country skiing on the continent.” This, and other quotes like it, make it worth the drive to visit Okanogan Country. The third-party endorsements show that they are the best.

Set yourself apart from everyone else, and you’ll see that by being unique, you’ll be a greater attraction.

CRITICAL MASS MEANS CASH

Although it may not be the primary reason why visitors come to your community, shopping and dining in a pedestrian setting is the number one activity of visitors. Besides lodging, it is also how visitors spend the most amount of money.

Do you have a pedestrian-friendly shopping district? If not, can you create one? Many communities have been highly successful with the development of a two or three block long pedestrian “village” including visitor-oriented retail shops, dining, visitor information, restrooms, etc., all in an attractive, landscaped setting.

The general rule of thumb in those two or three blocks (not spread out all over town) is 10+10+10: Ten destination retail shops, which includes galleries, antiques, collectibles, home accents and furnishings, artists in action, book stores, logo gear (clothing), souvenirs, outfitters, tour operators, activity shops such as kites, jewelry, wine or tobacco shops, and other specialties. The second ten is for food: ice cream, fudge and candy stores, soda fountains, sit-down dining, coffee shops, cafes, bistros, delis, etc. And the final ten are businesses open after 6:00 pm. This includes entertainment: bars, dance clubs, theaters (movies and performing arts), retail shops with activities (piano bar in a wine shop), etc.

The important point is to group these businesses together to create the “critical mass” in a pedestrian-friendly setting. This will attract visitors as well as locals, and make it worth their while to stop and shop. People are always drawn to the critical


INTRODUCTION

mass—the opportunity to have multiple choices, multiple experiences, all in a convenient and attractive setting.

TOURISM IS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY

The goal of successful tourism is for people to come into the community, spend money, and go home. Tourism is nearly a $947 billion dollar industry in the U.S., nearly $82 billion in Canada, and supports millions of jobs. Ninety percent of tourism industry businesses are small businesses of which 90% have less then 15 employees. Tourism provides the opportunity for entrepreneurs to get started, for small family-run businesses to thrive, for artisans and craftspeople to find a market, and creates a basis for unique niche-retail environment including wineries, artists, crafts, etc. Tourism provides a diverse market within the community, expanding its potential. Enhancing the community through beautification efforts creates an attractive setting for both locals and visitors, key in revitalizing a community’s downtown. And a tourism-friendly town will attract non-tourism industries faster than others—new businesses will see the community as a visitor before they make a final determination about the community. Tourism is the front door to your economic development efforts.

The benefits of a healthy tourism industry can rejuvenate a town, foster community pride, encourage economic diversity, and lead the way to a vital, successful community.


INTRODUCTION

NEXT STEPS

The findings and suggestions in this report will provide many ideas, strategies, and goals to reach for. We hope that it fosters dialogue and becomes a springboard for the communities in enhancing the tourism industry and other economic development efforts, leading to greater prosperity, rejuvenation, and enjoyment by all the citizens.

This report offers a first step in reaching that goal. To fully realize the benefits of this assessment, the county should take these findings and suggestions, discuss them and evaluate them, and develop a plan for implementation.

A detailed branding plan would help to build on the results of this assessment, adding in-depth research, evaluation, and local input to develop a unique brand and implementation program. The assessment process essentially provides a look at where you are today. RBI’s BrandCamp program would help to build your branding plan from the ground up, with local input, brainstorming, research, and creative planning. We can work with you to guide you through the process, helping create a plan that has local champions and community buy-in.

The next step in the planning process would be to provide public outreach and review past and current planning efforts. This would determine your goals as a region.

The third step would involve research, feasibility and market analysis, and determining your brand—what you are or hope to be known for.

Then comes the “development” portion of the plan

or the “how to get there” program: determining what product development initiatives need to be undertaken to reinforce and grow the brand. This also includes defining the roles of the various local organizations. Brand-building is successful if everyone pulls in the same direction, each with their own “to do list.”

Finally, there’s the detailed marketing plan: how and when you will tell the world who you are and what makes you special—the place to live, work and play.

The branding plan should be an “action plan” as opposed to a “strategic plan.” You want a to do list, by organization, not just general strategies, goals and objectives.

The recommendations should provide all the necessary steps for your county to be successful in attaining its goals of a more diverse economy with an enhanced tourism industry and to become more attractive and enjoyable for both visitors and citizens.

A good plan will provide a program to get local residents and the business community pulling together, building the county’s unique image in the minds of visitors and residents alike. The result of your efforts will be a prosperous, enjoyable environment in which to live, work, and visit.


INTRODUCTION


FINDINGS & SUGGESTIONS

Findings & Suggestions

Our assessment process included reviewing San Juan County’s marketing materials, plus looking at your online presence, reviews on TripAdvisor and other information sites, as well as performing the “secret-shopping” on-site assessment. We spent several days in the county, looking at signage and wayfinding (how easy was it to find your attractions and amenities?), appeal, critical mass (were there places in the county to spend money?), your attractions, amenities, customer service, and more.

We looked at San Juan County as: 1) a place to live and raise a family, 2) a place to work, invest in, or bring a business, and 3) a place to visit.

We’ve assessed more than 1,500 communities across North America and in Western Europe. Over the past two years, we’ve become very familiar with Utah and Utah’s unique attractions. We’ve worked in more than 17 communities in Utah so far, and that familiarity with the state enables us to provide you with focused, practical suggestions.

Tourism is a means to an end. Fact #1: Tourism is the purest form of economic development—people come, spend money, and then go home. Tourism helps import more cash into your communities. When residents spend money outside their community, that’s leakage. Communities that leak more money than they bring in will go broke. Tourism can help fix that situation.

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Tourism is also the front door to all your economic development activities. Anyone wanting to move, relocate or open a business, or invest in your community will come calling as a visitor first. Their impression of your community will either open the door to the possibility of investing in your community, or slam it shut.

Once a community sets its sights on attracting more visitors, the place naturally becomes more appealing to local residents. Beautification efforts, new attractions and better amenities don’t just benefit visitors. Development and community improvement creates a community people are invested in, a place where locals want to spend time. The community looks better, it has

more to offer, and the first people to trickle back in to shop, dine, and be entertained will be the people who already live there. The sense of community pride that develops may not be measurable, but it will be substantial and make an extraordinary difference in the health and vitality of the community. Vibrant, exciting communities, where locals want to hang out, are exactly the types of places visitors want to spend time in as well. And quality of life is one of the top reasons businesses choose to relocate.

More communities are succeeding with their economic development efforts through “economic gardening” than through smokestack chasing. One great example is the Missouri Star Quilting Company in Hamilton, Missouri.



Jenny Doan (top left) and her husband relocated to Hamilton, Missouri, from California with their seven children. Hamilton was just a small town, most industry had shut down, and the downtown was mostly vacant. Jenny needed to help supplement their income, and she was creative, outgoing, and had a knack for coming up with quick and easy ways to get things done.

Jenny came up with an easy method to sew a quilt. She bought a huge sewing machine, fabric, and started the Missouri Star Quilt Company in 2008. They bought a dilapidated building in town for the business to operate from. She started making short instructional videos showing how to do it, and posting them on YouTube. They became a sensation with over 50 million views so far.

The business has grown to over 200 full-time employees, and they are now the largest provider of quilting fabric in the world. Between 5,000 and 10,000 visitors each month come to attend Jenny’s classes and meet her, so other retail shops and a hotel have opened.

Jenny’s little home grown business has turned Hamilton, Missouri, around, making it a vibrant, active community. The visitors to Hamilton make it possible for many other small businesses to thrive.

Tourism is the foundation for San Juan County’s future. Let’s figure out how to better leverage it.



This Assessment Report will cover four major initiatives:

• Marketing makeover • Monetizing tourism • Business recruitment • The visitor experience

A lot of visitors to San Juan County are just passing through from Monument Valley to Moab. They don’t realize all the great activities there are in the county.

With your marketing efforts, change the focus from: “Our responsibility is to market the county.” The goal should be “How can we best MONETIZE tourism in the county?” Or “What can we do to keep visitors longer, spending more money, creating memorable experiences, and coming back time and again?”

Visitors are looking for ACTIVITIES—not assets. They want things to do, so market activities, not just stuff. And quit marketing your assets that provide no economic benefit for the county.



For example, Rainbow Bridge National Monument is located in San Juan County (top left). We weren’t sure how to get to it, so we did a lot of research, and we found that we would need to take a boat on Lake Powell from Page, Arizona, then hike from shore to reach Rainbow Bridge. It would be an all-day excursion, so we’d need to spend the night in Page, be gone all day, then return to Page. Rainbow Bridge National Monument doesn’t have any businesses at which we would spend money to benefit San Juan County, so even though it is located in the county, visitors to the monument do not provide any economic benefit to the county at all. The benefits all go to Page, Arizona!

In fact, Page’s mayor asked us to thank you for sending so many visitors to Page. Utah promotes Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Glen Canyon Dam, Lake Powell, and Rainbow Bridge, and most of the visitors to those sites spend the night in Page—not in Utah. Page is the closest town, and it has the most lodging.

There are many times when a community should promote activities 45 minutes to an hour away, but it makes sense only if you have the accommodations and amenities that will make you a true “hub.”



Halls Crossing is promoted in San Juan County’s marketing, so we wanted to check it out. We drove out to Halls Crossing (all photos this page) to find out what activities were available for visitors: boat rentals, boat tours to access Rainbow Bridge, ferry rides, restaurants, gift shops, etc. We saw signs for visitor information, directing us out to the marina.

There are no boat rentals or boat tours from Halls Crossing. There is a small gift shop, a marina, and a small cafe. There is no visitor information. The ferry takes visitors to Bullfrog Marina, and that is where the visitor information is located. The marina houses a number of private boats, but we saw that the unpaved

access to the marina (top right) would make it difficult to haul gear, take a stroller or wheelchair. There is no paved access to the marina.

Add signage and visitor information at Halls Crossing. Put up signs to let visitors know where they can find the gift shop, the cafe, etc. Add visitor information to cross-sell other places in San Juan County.

We didn’t see any reason a visitor would want to go to Halls Crossing unless they were simply leaving the county and traveling to Bullfrog, in which case they probably wouldn’t be coming back. There’s really no reason to promote Halls Crossing as a day trip for visitors.



It looks like Aramark is moving most of the facilities to Bullfrog, and leaving Halls Crossing without any visitor activities. We suggest getting together with them to see what can be done to help Halls Crossing remain a viable visitor destination.

The bottom line is that if there is no economic benefit—no opportunity for local spending—then don’t market something as a signature attraction.

Museums are seen as “static.” They are usually just things to see, rather than things to do. Promoting San Juan County as the “World’s greatest outdoor

museum” doesn’t make it sound like there’s any activities to enjoy—just artifacts to look at. It isn’t a powerful draw. We suggest not using that tagline in your marketing.

Likewise, “Utah’s Canyon Country” doesn’t make you stand out. There are so many canyons: Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon, Canyonlands, and many more. Canyons are not your primary draw. You want to make San Juan County stand out for being different.

One idea is “Utah’s Four Corners Country.”



Another possibility is “Utah’s Monument Country.” You have Monument Valley, Natural Bridges, Hovenweep, The Needles Overlook, and Canyonlands National Park, as well as Bears Ears, which all tie in to the fact that San Juan County has spectacular monuments.

People don’t go someplace because it is a “county.” So in your marketing, instead of putting “San Juan County” at the top, front and center (bottom left), promote your greatest attractions first. Then you can let people know where you are.

Put your very best attractions front and center in all your marketing. And promote the activities that visitors can enjoy while there.



For example, we felt that Monument Valley (top left) is one of your very best attractions. The Navajo Tribal Park offers some great activities that should be promoted: Guided tours, Navajo arts and culture at the visitor center, and it is a photographer’s paradise. Promote these activities.

Natural Bridges National Monument (top right) is spectacular. The top activities there would be going for a hike under the three bridges, the scenic drive, and photographing the spectacular scenery.

We were in awe when we visited Hovenweep National Monument (bottom

left). The structures built by the ancestral Puebloan people are still amazing, and the mystery of what they were used for by this ancient civilization makes exploring all the more fun. Activities include hiking the two-mile loop, unwinding in this serene landscape, and photography.

Another one of San Juan County’s best attractions is the Needles Overlook (bottom right). The viewpoints are outstanding, and it is one of the most beautiful day hikes in Utah.



Newspaper Rock (top left), on the way to Canyonlands National Park Needles District, is another fantastic spot.

And, of course, Canyonlands National Park Needles District (top right) is one of the county’s primary attractions with activities that include a stunning scenic drive (bottom left) and amazing day hikes. It should also be promoted for its serene atmosphere—especially when compared to the crowds at many of the other National Parks.

After promoting your very best activities, then promote your complementary activities—things visitors don’t travel to do specifically, but they will do them while they are in the area.



You complementary activities could include hiking up to Looking Glass Rock (top left). Let visitors know that the best time to visit is in the mornings, that they need good climbing shoes, and that it is a photographic gem.

Another nearby activity is hiking out to Wilson Arch (top right).

Four Corners (bottom left and right) is almost a “must visit” for people in the area, simply because people can stand in four states at once. It makes a great place for selfies to post on social media, and there are some amazing Native American artists who sell their wares there. Be sure to warn potential

visitors that there are no services at Four Corners, though. There’s no water, no restrooms, no food or gas. We strongly suggest that the Navajo Nation make every effort to provide these services at Four Corners. Not only would it be good for visitors, it would also help monetize the facility, providing small business opportunities.



Another fun complementary activity is visiting Goosenecks State Park (top left and right). When you see rafters floating down the river (top right), you realize how high up you are. While this is a very fun place to see, there isn’t much to do, and a visit here doesn’t take long.

Bluff Fort (bottom left) is another great complementary activity. It is a re-creation of the old fort, and it includes a lot of great interpretive information. The gift shop is excellent, and the visitor information is well done.

Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum (bottom right) is well worth a visit, too; in fact, some visitors might put it high on their priority list. It has world-class exhibits on Native American history, arts and culture. It should definitely be promoted as a “while you are here” attraction.



The Dinosaur Museum (top left) was fantastic. There are a lot of dinosaur museums in Utah and vicinity, but this one is the most fun we’ve seen. Lots of fun facts and fantastic displays. It should definitely be promoted.

The Monticello Visitor’s Center and Frontier Museum (top right) are great—and visitors should be encouraged to go next door to the 18,000 pound tractor.

Visitors should be encouraged to go to the Blanding Visitor’s Center. Besides having incredible customer service and great information, they have an excellent gift shop, a museum, and spotless restrooms.



We suggest that you redevelop your Visitor’s Guide into an “Activities Guide.” Visitors are looking for activities—for experiences—so promote things to do. We suggest you watch our online video about “The Death of Visitor Guides and What to do Instead” (top right).

One example of a very useful and effective guide is this one (bottom left and right) for the South Shore in Nova Scotia. It covers a region—the South Shore—and it gives information about the “top” activities, top locals’ picks, top shops, top events, top scenic spots, etc. For each of the selections, it provides

detailed information. In addition, the guide includes what to expect during the four seasons (bottom right), as well as the best activities during those times.

By naming the “top” picks, visitors are given information about the best attractions, activities, and amenities, and that makes it easier for them to plan their trip. And, when visitors come, in addition to exploring the “top” picks, they will also go into other nearby shops, restaurants, and amenities—so the whole community benefits.



Your guide should include your “best of” attractions and amenities, your best iconic photo spot, your locals’ picks for hidden gems and nightlife, your “must see and do” activities, and the best places for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and shops.

We also suggest you create a “hidden gems” book. This could be a privately-produced piece. One of Door County, Wisconsin’s most successful marketing pieces is a small book written by a private person called “101 Things to do in Door County” (bottom left). These are basically “hidden gems,” and they are very specific, fun, mini-itineraries about things to do while visiting Door

County. They aren’t Door County’s best attractions; they are things only locals would know about. They let visitors know about all the other fun things to do, besides your major attractions.

Your hidden gems are not the major attractions that would get us to travel to San Juan County, but while we’re here, these are some fantastic little excursions and enjoyments we could have. These will get visitors to stay longer. This could be a privately produced marketing book.

Create detailed itineraries to post on your website and in your marketing pieces.



Your itineraries should include businesses and a lot of detail. You want them to promote visitor spending in the county, so they need to include businesses, and the details will help visitors imagine themselves doing the fun activities.

The photos on this page show a sample itinerary for the north part of San Juan County. It starts with a specific place and time for breakfast—Peace Tree Juice Cafe. Then the visitor would travel toward the Needles Overlook. Note that the highways are mentioned, as well as the amount of time it would take to drive there.

The itinerary includes how long you might allow for spending at the Needles Overlook, and what you would experience there.

Next, the itinerary gives a timeframe and place for lunch.



The itinerary gives a suggestion for the next activity after lunch, visiting Monticello’s Frontier Museum, along with an estimated timeframe, followed by other suggested activities in town.

The itinerary fills the whole day, so it includes some options for more exploring of either the Looking Glass Rock or the Wilson Arch, along with information about those two locations.

A suggestion for where to go for dinner is included.



This is a two-day itinerary for the north portion of the county, so Day 2 follows. This includes as much detail as Day 1, and it encourages visitors to shop at local stores for supplies before heading out to Canyonlands National Park, and what to do for the rest of the day.



We’ve also written up a sample itinerary for visiting the south part of the county. It follows the same format, with timeframes, where to eat, what to enjoy, and what to expect while there.



Day 2 of this south county itinerary is shown on this page.



We finish up Day 2 with dinner in Bluff, and then stargazing.

Day 3 could be entirely spent at Monument Valley (top right), enjoying a guided tour, visiting the gift shop, dining locally, etc.

Presenting your fantastic attractions in an itinerary format makes it very easy for visitors to plan their own trips, as well as to imagine themselves actually visiting San Juan County. It is a very effective way to promote the area.

Marketing needs to be high-quality, so we suggest you contract for

professional photography, videography, and copy writing services. Short videos are excellent when posted on your website and YouTube, and photography does the best job “selling” when people are included in each photo—people actively having a good time.

Make sure your marketing provides specifics, not just generalities.



One of the most effective brochures we’ve seen is put out by a private guide service, Zion Guru (top left and right). This brochure gives details about hikes in Zion National Park, and includes such details as amenities, ratings (how fun is the hike), difficulty, elevation gain or loss, average time, distance, trailhead location, optimal time to do the hike, and experience level. It is one of the most useful brochures we’ve seen. Always provide specifics.

We put together a sample itinerary for a few days in Seattle, just to use as an example of what an itinerary should include (bottom left). We posted it online,

and the Seattle visitor information contacted us and said that tourists were coming into their office with these itineraries printed out, and they thought they were the most helpful visitor guides in Seattle. That’s how important itineraries can be.

Provide details. For example, if you are promoting a fishing spot, include information about what people will catch; if they need a fishing license and where to get one; what is the cost; what are the seasons, etc. (bottom right).



We found several different websites promoting different parts of San Juan County; it seems that each town has its own visitor website. This isn’t necessary, and actually makes it more difficult for visitors to find the information they need. We suggest you pool your marketing efforts and build a new website.

You will be far more effective as one loud voice as opposed to numerous smaller voices.

The more you have to offer collectively, the further people will come and the

longer they will stay.

There were some good features about each community’s website, but it’s best to have one primary location visitors can access to get the information they need.

Bluff’s homepage, bottom right.



Monticello’s homepage, top left.

Blanding’s homepage, top right.

Navajo webpage, bottom left, for Monument Valley and Four Corners.

And the San Juan County homepage—Utah’s Canyon Country, bottom right.

We suggest one visitor website that would include each of the different communities, as well as all your attractions and amenities organized by

“Things to Do.” You can include itineraries, “Best Ofs,” lodging options, dining options, seasons, how to get there, maps, and lots of excellent photography and videos of visitors having a great time.

Of course, you don’t want to promote the area as “San Juan County” because people don’t really care about visiting a “county.” We’ve suggested perhaps “Four Corners Country” or “Utah’s Monuments Country.” These are just ideas, and perhaps there is another name that would be more compelling.



Welcome to the “Visual First” movement in website design. Websites are perfect for showing off great photography, and this style of website is best for enhancing your visual images. Take a look at a couple of examples of this style: exploresquamish.com (top left) and colonacolorado.com (top right).

Even with so many technological marketing methods, billboards are still effective if done right. Thousands of people drive down your highways, and a well-designed billboard can have a great deal of positive impact. We suggest you redesign your billboards to make them more successful.

Rather than promoting San Juan County as The World’s Greatest Outdoor Museum (bottom right), which doesn’t promote activities and things to do, we suggest you welcome visitors to Utah’s Monuments Country. You have Monument Valley, Hovenweep National Monument, Natural Bridges National Monument, and Canyonlands National Park (as well as Bears Ears).



This billboard (top left) is so worn and dilapidated that it’s unreadable and gives a less-than-desirable impression. Just take it down.

Our first impression of this motel was that it probably wasn’t very nice because of the billboard was so unattractive (top right). Redo it. Make it fresh and add a simple graphic. It’s visitors’ very first impression of the motel and trading post, and you want it to be good.

This billboard (bottom left) is almost impossible to read. Never use script

fonts or outlined text on a billboard. Make it simple and easy to read, with contrasting colors so the text stands out. Redo this one.

This billboard (bottom right) should also be redone. It’s very difficult to read with the white text over the faded photo. Make the graphic simple, and promote one thing.



This billboard is good (top left). It has one graphic, it’s easy to read, and it has a call to action.

Billboards should always be simple, easy to read, and include a call to action. There should never be more than one graphic, and it should be easy to identify and be memorable. Billboards should never look like a print ad. Little America Travel Center (top right and bottom left) pulls millions of travelers off the freeway with these simple billboards.

This billboard for the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center (bottom right) is excellent as well. Simple graphic, easy to read, and a call to action.



Priority 2: Monetize your tourism. It’s one thing to get visitors to drive through, but the benefit of tourism comes when visitors stop and spend time and money in your communities, spending the night at your motels, and spending money in your restaurants and shops. This benefits all your businesses, creates jobs, and generates tax revenues as well.

The top activity of all visitors—not the reason for traveling, but still their top activity—is shopping, dining, and being entertained in a pedestrian-friendly setting. This is where 80% of all non-lodging tourism spending takes place.

So, when visitors spend all day enjoying your great outdoor recreational

activities (top right), they are not spending very much money. At the end of the day, when they are done with those activities, do you have the restaurants, shops, and entertainment so visitors can spend money? And, are they open?

Visitors are attracted to restaurants and shops that look nice and are obviously open for business. 70% of first time sales comes from curb appeal. Have you ever said, “That looks like a nice place to eat”?

When signage is faded and dilapidated, it looks like the place may no longer be in business. That’s what we assumed when we drove past this museum (bottom right).



If you were driving past two arts and crafts shops right next to each other, which one would you decide to look in? This shop (top left) looks stark and bare. It doesn’t have any curb appeal, and if the car hadn’t been parked in front, it would be easy to assume that it was no longer open for business.

This shop (top right) has some landscaping out front and looks more appealing. Most people would be more likely to go into this shop first. Curb appeal attracts customers.

Women account for 80% of all consumer spending. Women are more likely to

go into shops that are attractive, welcoming, and feel safe. One way to make a shop feel welcoming and safe is to make the outside attractive, with benches and pots.

Take a look at the photo bottom right. This wasn’t staged, and you can see all the men sitting on benches, waiting outside.

Benches outside your storefronts encourage customers to come inside. Benches should always be placed at the facade facing out, and they should be flanked with pots.



70% of all consumer retail spending takes place after 6:00 pm.

During the day, most people are at work or school. Visitors are usually out hiking, sightseeing, fishing, etc. When they finish, they are ready for shopping, dining, and enjoying nightlife. That is usually after 6:00 pm—are your shops open? If not, they are missing out on that 70%.

That’s why Disney built Downtown Disney outside each of their parks—to get that 70%.

Suggestion: For the next few months, you have access to the Roger Brooks video library—the online streaming videos of how-to, practical advice on topics such as branding, product development and marketing. Take advantage of these resources and set up a monthly program for you and your businesses to watch these videos.



Suggestion: Work to monetize your tourism assets. You monetize them by having places where visitors can easily spend money at your BLM lands, state parks, and national parks. You have thousands of visitors going out to these fairly remote locations, and many of them would be thrilled to be able to buy a sandwich, snack, bottle of water, or souvenir, but there is nothing available for them to spend their money on.

Work with BLM, Utah State Parks, and the National Park Service to get concessionaire agreements in place for small, local businesses to be able to sell in these locations. These could be food trucks, vendors, local artisans, and more. Make sure the businesses are local, so the local economy benefits. This

is important not just for monetary reasons, but also for the safety and comfort of your visitors. A lot of visitors may need to buy water while they are in these remote locations.

Suggestion: Develop a county-wide wayfinding system (bottom right). It should include: • Attractions and activities • Amenities (parking, washrooms) • Trail markers and access points • Visitor information kiosks • Pedestrian wayfinding in downtowns



The signage should be decorative to fit your ambiance and easy to read, such as these examples from Appleton, WI (top left). These signs in Appleton are mounted on existing power poles and cost about $750. Appleton put up 18 of these wayfinding signs, and their retail sales went up by 15%. Studies show that wayfinding will increase retail sales and services between 14% and 24%. Wayfinding is an investment. Navigation systems are no substitute. Wayfinding tells people about things we might not even know you have.

Rules for wayfinding signage: Never have more than five lines of text. The

lettering should be one inch tall for every 30 feet of viewing distance. You want to start your wayfinding along Main Street, but it must continue through every turn until you reach the destination.

Many communities in Utah need to develop wayfinding systems. We have found a few places with good signage – Logan (bottom left) and Ivins (bottom right) are a couple good examples.



Visitors don’t just travel during business hours, so it’s important to have brochures and information available around the clock.

This simple brochure holder in Bruce County, Ontario (top right), is one simple solution to providing 24-hour visitor information. It is weather-proof, and easily holds a good supply of brochures.

This map display in Wickford, Rhode Island (bottom left), has two brochure holders.

According to Bentley University’s Center for Marketing Technology, prior to traveling, only 32% of travel decisions are made using brochures or printed pieces (#1: internet, #2: friends and family). But once we are in the area, a whopping 81% of travel decisions are made from brochures. You can increase your retail sales just by providing 24/7 access to visitor guides. Brochures are still important!



This visitor information kiosk (top left) is a great example of a kiosk that fits the ambiance of the town. This includes brochure distribution (top right), and each business or attraction that displays their brochure pays $3-$5 each month, which covers the cost of restocking, maintenance, and a little more to go for building another kiosk.

For more information, watch our video about visitor information centers in our online library (bottom left).

Flemington, NJ (bottom right) built some of these unmanned visitor kiosks from a kit. They are small enough to go almost anywhere, and they have maps and several brochures.

People don’t want electronic visitor information at these kiosks—they need a brochure or something they can take with them and read later.



North Platte, Nebraska (top left), had this brochure holder specially made to distribute three separate brochures.

Make it easy for visitors to find the information they need by having several brochure holders and kiosks in the area. Add a brochure holder outside the Monticello Visitor Center (top right), so that your center will be working 24 hours a day.

Wherever you have interpretive information or information about the area, such as these kiosks (bottom left and right), you have an opportunity to add

a brochure holder. These are perfect locations to stock “Monuments Country Activity Guides.” This would cross-sell the businesses and other attractions in the area, encouraging visitors to stay longer.



This interpretive display (top left) has some great information. The problem is visitors can’t take this information with them. Add an additional brochure holder with a simple brochure that contains this information.

When people drive (or walk) through downtown, signs that are placed flat against the building are almost impossible to read. Perpendicular (blade) signs take care of that problem.

Can you tell what shops are in any of these buildings? (bottom left) Since there

aren’t any blade signs, merchants have resorted to using sandwich boards.

The only way to see this store’s sign (bottom right) is to go across the street.

Your shops need blade signs. In a healthy downtown merchants use blade signs. The right kind of signage can make or break a retail shop or restaurant. How will potential customers know what you’re offering unless the can see your signs?



These signs in Leavenworth, WA (top left) are excellent examples of effective blade signs. Chocolate, collectables, trains, restaurant. It’s easy to see what kind of stores these are.

Nantucket, Massachusetts (top right) also uses very good blade signs.

Here are some blade signs in Carmel, California (bottom left). Most successful downtowns have blade signs.

They should be consistent height and size, and they should be decorative. They should also promote what it is you’re selling first, before the name of the

store.

All shops in Canmore, Alberta, use blade signs (bottom right). They make it easy to see what stores are available, and they entice you to continue down the street with the promise of more interesting shops.



I was visiting Lethbridge, Alberta, when they were installing these new blade sign frames (top left). They are built to withstand 100 mph wind loads, and they are made to be easy to install each merchant’s unique signage.

If there’s a city ordinance preventing the use of blade signs, it needs to be changed. Blade signs should be no lower than seven feet, no higher than nine feet, and no wider than 42 inches. They don’t have to be exactly alike, but should be consistent in height and size, and be decorative and professional.

Merchants need to invest in beautification. These merchants (bottom right) spend ten to fifteen minutes prior, to opening, setting up these displays. These are decorative displays of their merchandise, like exterior window displays. It looks inviting, attractive, and lets people know that they are open for business. Especially in towns where there are a number of vacancies, it’s critical to make it obvious you are open.



Merchants should be able to use about 24 to 30 inches of the sidewalk against the building facade for benches, displays, and pots. This is in Canmore, Alberta (top left).

Beautification is a great investment, and one way to help merchants make it more affordable is to organize a buying co-op. You could implement a beautification program similar to Fredericksburg, Texas (top right, bottom left and right). The merchants combined forces and funds to purchase pots, planters, planting soil, and shrubs for everyone, then had students and youth clubs plant them as fundraisers. Notice that most of the pots are filled with

evergreen shrubs—that makes them low maintenance, and they last all year long. They had the pots ready to plant in the autumn, so they waited until spring to plant them with shrubs and flowers, and, instead, they stuck pinwheels into the dirt for the winter. People came from miles around to see the pinwheel display. Their retail sales went up almost 30%.

Curb appeal can account for up to 70% of first-time sales at restaurants, golf courses, wineries, retail shops and lodging facilities.



Your third priority is business recruitment. Begin a recruitment program. I have recruited $3.2 billion in development projects, and the key to success is to get on the phone and to meet with your prospects. It doesn’t take advertising dollars or traveling around the world.

Your communities need to have more small businesses to help you reach a critical mass of retail and restaurants. Here is your suggested recruitment list:

• A retail outfitter—a business that can rent bicycles, other equipment, and take people out. Contact successful outfitters and talk to them. Find out what it would take to get them to open a second location in Blanding, or one of your

other towns. • A recreational incubator—a central location with booths for tour guides • Three or four (or more) restaurants • Upmarket boutique lodging You need to fill the gaps in your retail, restaurant, and lodging offerings. That will help leverage your tourism industry, bringing more visitors and more cash.

Your fourth priority is enhancing the visitor experience. One of our secret shoppers called for visitor information and spoke to Harold Lyman at Blanding, and he was so warm, helpful, and friendly, that the top thing she wanted to do was to meet him. That is how to make a connection with your visitors!



Have you ever wondered why developers create stunningly beautiful gateways for their high-end residential subdivisions? Gateways create certain expectations of the neighborhood.

The same applies to a city or town. Your gateways—your highway entrances into town—create a specific impression about the town. When your gateways are attractive, people expect the town will be a nice place to spend time.

Monticello’s gateway sign (top left) isn’t unattractive, but it’s not easy to read or to make out the small graphics. Signs should never use script lettering, and

text should never be put over graphics. It’s too hard to read. Use no more than six words—people don’t have time to read them all, and they will just ignore it.

Bluff’s gateway (top right) looks great. It’s simple, classic, and attractive.

Blanding’s gateway sign looks nice as well (bottom left).

The Navajo Nation Welcome Center sign (bottom right) is in a great location and looks nice. The lower text is too difficult to read, though.



We stopped at the Navajo Nation Welcome Center hoping there would be some shops and restrooms open (top left and right). There were only a couple businesses open, but the restrooms and visitor information were closed. Most of the buildings were vacant. We don’t know what happened here.

If this welcome center is ever open, put up signs to let visitors know when the season operates, and what hours it is open. Add outdoor brochure distribution so that even when you are closed, you can cross-sell other businesses and attractions in the area.

We drove out to visit La Sal (bottom right). The scenery on the drive there was gorgeous. We knew La Sal would be a very small community. We saw this artisan’s saddlery shop in his home, and we thought it would be great if there could be a small “business incubator” space available in town for these types of businesses to have a more prominent presence in the community.



We noticed this small vacant building along the highway (top left), and we thought it would be a great opportunity for a summer-time ice cream shop.

We saw this gorgeous sign for the Canyon Country Discover Center (top right), but we were confused about what this facility actually does. On the one hand, it calls itself a “discovery center,” which would typically be an interpretive center or museum for visitors. On the other hand, it call itself a “campus” and “school.” That wouldn’t be a visitor attraction.

So we drove into the parking lot, and it looked like there were a few people there, but these covered booths (bottom left) were empty, and the place didn’t

look well-maintained. We looked at their website, and it seemed to show that this place is more of a local children’s museum for the environmental sciences. But we weren’t sure.

We saw several of these signs in merchants’ windows (bottom right). We don’t have an opinion on the debate, but it’s good to understand that most visitors are here because of your natural assets, and they don’t understand why locals wouldn’t want a new national monument in their backyard. They haven’t heard the whole story, but they can be offended by locals’ feelings against it. We’re just pointing this out so that you can understand how visitors might feel.



We tried to go into this shop (top left), but it was temporarily closed. We were disappointed, because it looks like a great shop. It has excellent curb appeal.

We saw the temple (top right), and we were so surprised that a small community like Monticello has a temple. It looks very nice.

We found that when we got off the highway and started exploring deeper into the town, the towns look very nice. This elementary school (bottom left) looks great.

Most of the motels we saw, even if they look older, still look all right. Add some beautification to make them really stand out (bottom right). Imagine some hanging baskets here.



The top 15% of lodging, in terms of quality, commands 85% of the leisure travel business. People are willing to spend more to get nicer accommodations.

So when people see a motel with a ripped up sign and no beautification (top left), they usually pass by.

The Desert Rose Inn (top right) looks fabulous. The county could use two or three more of these facilities. La Posada Pintada (bottom left) also looks like an excellent place to stay. See if you can add a wayfinding sign on the highway to direct people to “Lodging” because this can be a little difficult to find. Stone

Lizard (bottom right) also looks great.

When we look for accommodations, we always read the reviews on TripAdvisor to help us with our selection. TripAdvisor is the most visited travel website in the world, so make sure you and your business has a good presence there. Always monitor your business on TripAdvisor, and be sure to respond to any comments and ratings that you receive. It’s especially important to respond to negative reviews—thank the customer for writing, apologize if there was a problem, and explain how you have fixed it. Customers need to feel that you care about their issues and concerns.



The Canyonlands National Park Visitor Center closes at 4:30 pm, and after that there is no visitor information available there. Work with the Park Superintendent to have them add brochure distribution to their outdoor displays (top left).

Four Corners (top right) really needs to be monetized. There are some booths with artisans and vendors (bottom left and right), but there is no food, no water, and no visitor information. The vendors aren’t able to take credit cards, so they must lose out on a lot of sales. People these days usually don’t carry

around a lot of cash.

Work to get access to the internet and cell service out here, then vendors would be able to accept credit cards.

See if the county could rent one of the vendor spaces to use for county-wide visitor information. You could cross-sell attractions, and encourage a lot of visitors to come to San Juan County from here.



We were surprised there is no water and no restrooms at Four Corners. It looks like they are under construction (top left). Add a sign letting visitors know when they will open. Invite us back.

Four Corners is exactly the type of place where people will take selfies and post to social media (top right). Encourage people to do that! Work on getting reliable cell service to make it easier.

We drove to the Monument Valley area and saw Goulding’s Lodge, gift shop, and museum (bottom left). It looks great, and it’s in a beautiful setting.

Then we drove over to Monument Valley Navajo Park (bottom right). There was a huge line of cars to get in, and we were surprised by how expensive it is—$20 per car of four people. But we paid it and went in.



There were tour buses and cars packing the parking lots, and people were visiting from all over the world. Monument Valley is an amazingly spectacular place (top left). The tour route looks like a great experience. We wished we had time to go on the tour, and we plan to do it someday.

The museum (top right) is great, and the gift shop (bottom left) is one of the most extensive Native American gift shops we’ve ever seen.

We drove into Mexican Hat, which has its own charm. Mexican Hat Lodge has

good curb appeal, and the restaurant (bottom right) looks great. We would definitely eat there.



This motel (top left) needs some help, though. It looks like it’s going to fall down. Some TLC, fresh paint, planter boxes, hanging baskets, and benches would do wonders.

In Bluff, most of the shops and restaurants do a really good job attracting customers. This place looks great (top right). Note the chairs out on the porch—they say, “welcome.” It’s awesome.

Bluff has a lot of unique charm. It has more shops and restaurants than the other towns in the county, it has a beautiful setting between the river and the

bluffs, and it seems to be comfortable with its visitors.

We drove around Bluff’s historic loop (bottom left and right), and some was distinctly historic, while some wasn’t.



We saw this beautiful historic home against a stunning backdrop (top left).

It was fun to drive around the historic loop—it got us off the highway, and gave us the opportunity to see a lot of the rest of Bluff.

We saw the Twin Rocks Trading Post and Restaurant (top right). The gift shop is amazing—it’s full of excellent art! We could have spent hours in there. We planned to stop here for lunch on our way home—we read they serve Fry Bread.

The Visitor Center in Bluff is fantastic (bottom left). We walked in and were greeted with freshly baked cookies and friendly, helpful staff. Very nice gift shop, and Fort Bluff and the grounds are excellent. We know these aren’t historic cabins, but re-creations, but the way they are done and the information is excellent (bottom right). And we understand that most of Bluff’s visitors are from other countries, so it’s fabulous that you have the recorded information in other languages. Great job.



We did see some places like this (top left). When visitors come through the area and see places with old cars and junk strewn around, they think this is how people in Utah live. It gives them a negative impression, not just of this one householder, but of the whole town and state. Work with your property owners to help clean up these types of places. If you have abatement ordinances, use them.

Work to make sure navigation systems are accurate for your attractions and amenities. We searched for the Blanding Visitors Center (top right), and our Nav System has it in the wrong location. This is where we were directed (bottom

left). Work with Navteq. Look for MapReporter. You can make the corrections so that people will be able to find where you really are. Four Corners is another location that is incorrectly located on navigation systems.

Another suggestion is to use your Activity Guide and your website to explain how the street systems and addresses work in Utah.

We were so thrilled to see that the Blanding Visitor Center has 24-hour restrooms (bottom right). The number one reason travelers stop is to use restrooms.



The Blanding Visitor Center is one of the top-rated visitor centers we’ve seen. Their customer service is fantastic. We were talking to them about it, and they showed us their mantras behind the desk (top left). No wonder they give such great service!

We went to the Edge of the Cedars State Park (top right). Better wayfinding signage would help increase attendance.

If any events are held in this space (bottom left), but up a sign to let visitors

know about them. Perhaps a schedule of upcoming events. Invite us back!



Edge of the Cedars State Park is fantastic (top left). We really enjoyed learning about all the ancient treasures there, and we had fun going down into the ancient kiva.

We love that you encourage visitors to take photos and post them to social media. Spreading the word through social media is a great way to promote your area.

We toured the Cedar Mesa Pottery Shop (bottom right), and it was great. We had purchased some pots in the gift shop in Monument Valley, and found

the exact same pots for sale at Cedar Mesa for one-half the price! The folks at Monument Valley should be careful to make sure they don’t overcharge, because if the word gets out (perhaps on social media), then they will start losing sales.



We enjoyed the self-guided tour through Cedar Mesa Pottery (top left), but we were a little nervous about damaging the pottery. We were able to see some of the artists painting the pottery (top right).

We also went into the dinosaur museum (bottom left). It was fantastic! And so much bigger than we thought—it just kept going on and on. And it was such a great combination of humor and science. The posters from the movies were fun, and dispelling the myths was great. It’s an excellent museum!

San Juan County has so much more than we ever knew before! You are definitely worth a special trip—it’s world class.

Promote your very best attractions, and then promote your secondary attractions as “while you’re here” activities. You’re not a pit-stop. You have enough to attract visitors all on your own.

Get together and discuss these suggestions, and decide what you want to turn into recommendations. They can make a tremendous difference!



San Juan County Marketing AssessmentThe following pages contain an assessment by our secret shoppers, who researched the area from a distance, reviewing marketing materials to see if they could find the area, and if the materials were convincing enough to make them want to visit.

After spending 20 minutes clicking links to San Juan County, Utah, and speaking with two individuals, from both Blanding and Monticello, I could not find a compelling reason to make special visit to any towns or areas in San Juan County, Utah. I have driven right through the area dozens of times to get to ski destinations in Utah and Colorado. BUT …

There are a few things I’d like to see in Blanding and Monticello if I were driving through the area:

1. Meet Harold Lyman at the Blanding Visitors Center 2. Hike to Hovenweep to walk the Anasazi ruins and see the petroglyphs 3. Visit Edge of Cedars State Park & Museum 4. Visit Bluff Fort Historic Site 5. Newspaper Rock Recreation Site 6. Drive to Goosenecks State Park 7. Monticello’s Frontier Museum 8. Monticello area - Loyd’s Lake

I Googled “San Juan County Utah Tourism” and these were top links:

- www.visitutah.com/ - Utah’s BEST interactive Website which includes Mighty 5 program and has gorgeous photographs which include some Natural Bridges and viewpoints in SJC

- www.sanjuancounty.org – for locals and businesses – no info for tourists

- The BEST website for tourists and visitor Information - www.utahscanyoncountry.com/ - beautiful rotating photos and captions: “San Juan County, The World’s Greatest Outdoor Museum”

- Here’s an interesting one: - https://thepetroglyph.com/ and www.extension.usu.edu66 San Juan County, Utah - Assessment Report

MARKETING ASSESSMENT

- This one was educational & fun, interesting quick facts: - www.ilovehistory.utah.gov/place/counties/

- I made note of “things to see” provided at: www.utahscanyoncountry.wordpress.com

- www.recreateinutah.com for top 13 things to see and do in Utah’s San Juan County

- Google.com also has “Top destinations in San Juan County Utah” displays four nice photos and underneath that caption is a clickable link to “more…” which takes you to a list of 30 census designated places – mostly just a photo, some duplicated. Of those 30 only the following three were interesting:

* Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

* Natural Bridges National Monument – largest is Sipapu Bridge, which spans White Canyon

* Monticello – was home to a large uranium mine from 1948 to 1960

Phone requests for info:

This link is where I found the phone numbers: www.go-utah.com/monticello

The general phone number, 800-574-4386, went to a recorded message.

Eventually, if you listen long enough, you’ll get the phone numbers for both Monticello (435-587-3401) and Blanding’s (435-678-3662) Visitors Centers.

Monticello:

First call went to a recording, the second call (ten minutes later) was picked up by someone who sounded out of breath and possibly annoyed, as though I was an interruption. I said I was planning to take a road trip with my husband and would be in the area in early May, and wondered how big the city of Monticello is. I was immediately corrected and told, “It’s not a city! It’s a town with one intersection!” “Wow, it sounds a very small town,” I said. Then I asked if there was any place to stay or get a bite to eat, and I was told they have “Eight hotels and a

B&B, and a couple of restaurants, one that serves fresh healthy, vegetarian type cuisine, and a comfort food place as well as a burger joint.” I asked which place was a favorite, and received the response “my own house”. I laughed and then asked if there was anything interesting and fun to see and do, and I also said I’d love to get some info by mail about the area. I was told they would send me a city map and then was asked if I like to golf. They have a very nice golf course, called The Hideout. It was suggested I might like to explore some historical areas, like nearby Hovenweep, home of 6-8 Anasazi ruins, which would require a short 1.5 mile hike on unpaved trail, pretty easy and well worth the effort. Also, there are some beautiful Natural Bridges that I might find interesting, too. Within three days, the package arrived!

Blanding:

The first call was answered by Harold Lyman, an older gentleman, who sounded like he was surprised the phone rang. He was very talkative and knowledgeable, fun to talk to. After a couple of minutes he asked me if I’d like to get some information by mail and offered to send me a “marketing package” and then he asked where I’d be coming from. When I gave him my address, he got very excited to tell me he was soon to be in my city to attend a Spring Training Game. After giving me some area weather info, “It’s just beautiful, sunny and in the 50’s.” He told me to be sure to stop by the visitor’s center to say hello. He’d love to meet me. I received Harold’s package about ten days later. The envelope was hand written and the enclosed cover sheet was personalized with a note at the bottom. His warmth and expressions of kindness, made me feel like family and I can’t wait to meet him at Blanding’s Visitor’s Center.

The Marketing Materials In both packages included the following:

From both:

- Map of each the downtown areas – printouts - Utah’s Canyonlands Travel Region See & Do Guide - San Juan County – Utah’s Canyon Country - Natural Bridges - Hovenweep - Hidden Gems of Four Corners-Edge of the Cedars Stake Park Museum


The Blanding package also included:

- Bears Ears National Monument color printout - Trail of the Ancients (Four Corners) - Free Cedar Mesa Pottery Factory Tour

Monticello package:

- Frontier Museum flier (with a few misspelled words and typos—could be redone easily) with a Southwest Utah Welcome Center business card. I couldn’t help but notice the caption on the Frontier Museum flier that said “Visitor information provided with a smile!”

SUMMARY:

Overall, San Juan County Utah has a lot to offer those interested in Native American culture and history, archaeology, geography or photography.

Detailed information was hard to find and I had to go to a lot of different websites, most lacking specifics necessary to make plans. Such as how accessible are the Natural Bridges? What are the existing road conditions? How do you get to those areas, 4-wheel drive, boat access from Lake Powell, or hike? Are there any facilities such as parking or restrooms?

The marketing materials didn’t give me enough specifics or point out what the very best attractions were, so it was hard for me to plan or know what to do.

More Information about Websites:

www.sanjuancounty.org

I found the San Juan County site. This website seems to be hosted by San Juan County Economic Development. It was not tourism specific, had links to info on a variety of subjects, with a menu on the left and one on the right. It had very small monument pictures along the top of the home page (no people in them) and a sentence just below that saying the county had a great diversity of land as well as peoples. The home page had lots of info and links to maps.

I selected a link on the right to ‘Travel Plan,’ which brought up a list of ATV/OHV Trail maps. From here, you could click on a link of photos on the right – which just brought up a map showing the division of areas to visit and a native reservation. Not very helpful overall, unless you wanted to just see off road maps.

There were 13 links to maps under Travel Plan Maps. These maps were all topographical, showing the area of the whole county with roads, rivers, designated areas and elevation changes – no finite details. Again, I can’t see how these are very helpful – especially to visitors. They showed where the variety of roads were, but map keys did not tell you whether they were in good condition, open all year, paved, dirt or gravel. There was also a link to a map that showed the ATV trail system, with no key.

There were no photos of ‘downtown’ areas, or people doing things in the county, or any commercial areas.

Website - Utahscanyoncountry.com –

I only found this via search for San Juan County info. I think it is somewhat confusing that they use Utah’s Canyon Country and San Juan County interchangeably within the site. If this treatment is maintained, maybe the two names should always be mentioned together at each use, like Utah’s Canyon Country – San Juan County.

1. The website had a menu at the top that made it easy to navigate and many hyperlinks to take a reader to exactly what they were looking for.

The See and Do tab brings up a long menu with main bullet points: Regions, Attractions, Things to Do, Information / Media (they should take the spaces out around the slash on this tab) and Home.

I think it would be better if this section started off with Things To Do, then depending on the activity you are interested in, a chance to drill down to the areas of operation, then vendors – with a search function to find specific areas.

Also, you need to click on a specific Region to see a list of events. Maybe the list of Events should be a main section, with the regions under it. Then the region sections could also still include the information about attractions and communities, with vendor and/or info links for people to know what to do in those places.


INTRODUCTION

2. This site had a downloadable San Juan County Travel Guide, which I was easily able to download as a PDF.

It would be good if a printable version was also available in black and white with all of the information printable, and not the full page/full color pictures.

When printing the guide, it printed back pages upside down so that they could be read if you have the packet open (and have stapled it in the upper left). This also caused the upside down pages to have the page numbers in the lower right and the other pages to have the page number in the upper right – consistency would be better.

Would have been good to have a table of contents and page numbers to specific pages, so that people can get to the information they are looking for fast as well as grab their interest with that page.

Would be very useful to have ‘trip’ ideas or itineraries, and plans for longer stays that include how to break up their visits (where to stay, and for how long). Maybe suggestions based on how adventurous/strenuous the activities visitors desire, based on the amount of ‘off-road’ they want to include. And/or, a section with specific site attractions and suggested options based on the same type of ‘adventure levels’.

Page 18 talks about the Edge of the Cedars State Park & Museum.

This document starts off with big sections of pictures and history of the area. Later, on page 24 and 25 there are smaller pictures with their descriptions in a list at the bottom of the page in a list. It would be easy to add the descriptions in a box on each picture instead, for fast reference.

The front section ends with a calendar of events by month (no dates – which makes it hard to plan when to come) and a list of communities.

Lists of activities, vendors, restaurants and lodging are all in the second half of the guide in charts of information. The charts need to have a small key on every page (not just some pages) so the information is understandable, and column headings at the top of every page (or for each city).

Blog, Facebook and twitter addresses for Utah Canyon Country are on page 48. These would probably be better on the front page of the guide.

Also on page 48, the heading FOUR CORNERS MONUMENT is missing its formatting (bold, italic).

The map on page 49 is illegible, the type is too small to read.

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/UtahsCanyonCountry/

Facebook presence was very good. They showed people at the Edge of the Cedars State Park museum, ATV riding, the Milky Way in a night sky with rock formations in the background, sunset at Dead Horse Point State Park, hiking on Cedar Mesa, Target Ruin & Ballroom Cave just west of Blanding, the view from Goosenecks State Park, the Canyon Country Discovery Center, Combe Ridge petroglyphs, a Spring Break Challenge (that had a poster with Challange – spelled like this) March 11-18, 2017, and a ton more pictures of people enjoying the outdoors.

Their Facebook home page is engaging - it showed how fantastic and diverse the natural areas in the county are. It also gave a link to the website: (www.utahscanyoncountry.com).

There was also a link to Photos, Videos (which had one video) and posts, and a number of ways to contact their Tourist Information Center.

The Photos showed a lot of natural monuments, but also included people, hot air balloons, a few museum pictures, rodeo pix, and people seeing animals at Hole N the Rock.

Blog - https://utahscanyoncountry.wordpress.com

The blog was very good, with lots of pictures of people outdoors, and quite a few at the Canyon Country Visitor’s Center in Monticello that opened 8/2016.

It has a nice Bio for the site’s blogger – Allison (whose young family is in a number of the photos).

Not a lot of ‘town’ pictures, so it was hard to know if there was good shopping at all. There was big section with lodging options and pictures and at the end a list of cities in San Juan County with web sites, a phone number for brochures and a way to send an email with a question.


INTRODUCTION

Contact Information

Roger Brooks International, Inc. 24654 N. Lake Pleasant Pkwy

Suite 103-487Peoria, AZ 85383

(206) 241-4770

Email: [email protected] www.RogerBrooksInternational.com

Copyright © 2017 Roger Brooks International, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,

microfilming, recording, or otherwise without written permission from Roger Brooks International

Documents

Assessment Findings and Suggestions Report · The marketing assessment determined how effective the marketing was in convincing a potential visitor that the area would be worth a